Drea Letamendi, Director of UCLA CAPS Compassionate Response Program (CORE)
When asked how they maintain their wellbeing, many instructors often give an uncomfortable laugh before admitting to not prioritizing this aspect of personal and professional care. With this common reaction, it is important to recognize that educators must take care of themselves in order to continue showing up for students, especially during times of rapid change across the educational landscape. In response, the UCLA Teaching and Learning Center’s (TLC) Instructor Wellbeing Initiative provides a series of resources and programs to help the instructional community pause, reflect, and support their wellbeing as both individuals and professionals.
Fall Quarter Offerings
Programs throughout the 2025-2026 academic year will support instructors in recognizing themselves as agents of transformation, as well as equip them with evidence-based techniques to foster inclusive and welcoming classroom communities. The Initiative’s first program of the fall quarter will be “Self-Care as a Journey: Mission-Driven Approaches to Navigating Wellbeing,” a workshop facilitated by Drea Letamendi, Director of UCLA CAPS Compassionate Response Program (CORE). The session will offer strategies on preventing professional burnout and mitigating stress, as well as on aligning professional practices with one’s personal values. The event will be open to all faculty, including professors, lecturers, and adjunct instructors.
Letamendi hopes that the workshop provides instructors with concrete practices to support their psychological wellbeing and help them feel empowered.
“Taking care of our wellbeing doesn’t necessarily mean we are free of personal challenges, setbacks, or emotional pain,” she noted. “Rather, wellbeing is about building the coping tools necessary to overcome adversity, manage difficulties, and ask for support when we need it. As a crisis psychologist and trainer at UCLA, I am inspired by the tenacity, resilience, and cooperation I often see among our community of bright learners, and I’m hopeful that even one compassionate interaction can make a meaningful impact in their college experience.”
The fall will also include a book club on Mimi Khúc’s dear elia: letters from the Asian American abyss. A facilitated discussion will have participants reflect on systems within academia that create unwellness for all people, especially those historically marginalized in higher education. The event will be open to all instructors, including graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. A copy of the book will be provided for the first ten registrants.
Additional programs held in winter and spring 2026 will be announced soon.
Fall 2025 Instructor Wellbeing Initiative Schedule
A Pedagogy of Unwellness: dear elia Book Discussion
3-4 p.m., November 13 | Powell 190
TLC-facilitated book club for dear elia: letters from the Asian American abyss by Mimi Khúc. A copy of the book will be provided for the first 10 registrants.
Open to all instructors, including graduate students and postdocs. Register here
Self-Care as a Journey: Mission-Driven Approaches to Navigating Wellbeing
3-4 p.m., November 18 | Young Research Library 21570
Workshop facilitated by Drea Letamendi, Director of UCLA CAPS Compassionate Response Program (CORE).
Open to any faculty, including professors, lecturers, and adjunct instructors. Register here